E-Mailing an Article to Yourself

To email an article from a library database to yourself, look for an e-mail link and follow the on screen instructions.The procedure will vary slightly, depending on which database you are using. You need to be clear on what information you are emailing.

The article may be available as a:

Citation
Information to identify the article: author, title, journal, etc. You will not receive the full text. If there is a button, try it and see if the full text is available in another database. For more information, check the Find it FAQ.

Citation plus an abstract
Information identifying the article plus a brief summary of the main ideas of the article. You will not receive the full text. If there is a button, try it and see if the full text is available in another database. For more information, check the Find it FAQ.

Full text in HTML format
A copy of the article. In this format, the article looks similar to a document on the Web. It may not include illustrations, graphs, or charts. If you select HTML, the size of the file will be smaller.

Full text in PDF format
A complete copy of the article. In this format, the article appears as it would in a print journal, including illustrations, graphs and charts. Adobe Acrobat is necessary to read a PDF file. If you choose PDF, the document will be e-mailed as an attachment.

Please note that many vendors limit the size of the file you can send as an e-mail; as a result, you may not be able to send a large PDF file. To make certain that you receive the article you e-mail, you may want to:

Before exiting the database, check your e-mail to make sure that the article came through.

Send articles one at a time to yourself instead of sending them in groups.

Consider sending the HTML rather than the PDF file if both versions are available. The HTML format may not be as attractive as the PDF and you may not be able to view illustrations. However, the file will be smaller and, therefore you will be assured of receiving the article.

Print the articles directly from the database or download articles to your hard drive (if you are searching at home) or to a disk rather than e-mailing them.